Guardian ( Trinidad and Tobago )
12 October 2023 ( Page 26 )
Fuel pump blamed for UWI car fires
Four vehicles were destroyed in a fire at the
carpark on the southern end of the University of
the West Indies’ (UWI) St Augustine campus on
Tuesday.
The Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service said the fire
was accidental.
They pinpointed an “ongoing mechanical repair
to the fuel pump of a Nissan B13” as the cause. In
a release, the TTFS said the fire started in the fuel
pump area in the back seat of the vehicle.
They also discovered the battery was not
disconnected during the repair work.
The fire spread to three other vehicles, a Kia Soul,
a Hyundai Ioniq and a Mitsubishi Lancer.
Appliances from the Tunapuna Fire Station
responded under the supervision of Fire Station
Officer Ian Woods.
In a statement, the UWI said at 11.24 am, campus
authorities were alerted to a fire involving four
vehicles at the JFK Staff Carpark, situated on the
southern side of the campus.
Officials confirmed previous reports that no one
was injured.
“In an immediate and coordinated response, the
UWI Estate Police, the Campus Incident
Management Team and the Emergency Volunteer
team, rapidly sprang into action calling on the
Trinidad and Tobago Fire Services who quickly
arrived to contain the fire,” the UWI said.
“University personnel will continue to support
the authorities and a full investigation into the
cause of the fire is underway.
Vehicle owners impacted by this incident have
been contacted directly by our Emergency
Response Team to address any concerns and
provide support.
Additionally, counselling services will be made
available.”
The UWI said priority now shifts towards the
assessment, cleaning and necessary repairs
required to restore the carpark to full
functionality.
Two of the vehicles were still on the compound
yesterday, cordoned off by yellow caution tape.
PICTURE KRYSTLE JAMES-
A firefighter tries to extinguish a blaze in one of
the four cars which caught fire at the UWI St
Augustine Campus carpark on Tuesday.